FB: American Rivers Conference

[Klompen]

Could/should be a good game.  Luther's D line is strong, Central's secondary has a great tradition as strong.  Don't know anything about the Dutch offense however.

Central's O line is improved this year.  They are doing better on protecting the QB.  Central's offense is still getting their legs under them this year.  In the past we had go-to man Vance Schuring, last year Connell really stepped things up and out shined the two time MVP to become MVP himself.  Both of them are gone and the offense is going through growing pains.  They have good players, but none that have stepped up to conference MVP status yet.  We have some receivers who have some great potential and Bandow has great potential, but the receivers are dropping too many catchable balls.  If they get that worked out, it will open things up more for Zachary and Veldhuizen on the run. 

You are catching us early and road weary.  It may work to your advantage. 

[Fannosaurus Rex]

Thanks for the heads up re the Central Luther webcast.  When I watched the Central Wartburg game I ran out of beer in the third quarter.  I won't make that mistake again.

[SpeedKills84]

Was checking out the NCAA stats and found some interesting statistics:

Cornell ranks 215 out of 235 in total defense

Cornell ranks 206 out of 235 in scoring defense

Cornell ranks 213 out of 235 in TO margin


What does this all mean?  Why am I throwing out terrible stats about a team I love?  I don't know.  I do know it equates to a 0-4 record and a lot of pissed off fans or worse yet fans that just don't even care.  It also makes me wonder how a team that returned all four starting defensive backs, and nine starters overall on the defense can be that bad.  Statistically they weren't any better last year....but they didn't get any better this year.  I think that should be the biggest cause of concern.  What chain of events are transpiring in the middle of those cornfields that aren't allowing any progression to take place?  If you can't stop the ball, you can't win games.  Plain and simple.      

[Floyd in Iowa City]

Central website preview of the Dutch-Norse game on Saturday:

http://www.central.edu/athletics/story.cfm?StoryID=1933

Central has not lost a regular season road game since losing in Decorah in 2004!  That feels like a long time ago as Iowa was winning a share of the Big Ten and it seemed like the Luther program was still building and exciting to watch under Coach Hefty.   I always have a lot of respect for Central Football and Wartburg Wrestling and the crazy numbers both programs put up.

Luther is going to need to once again clearly win the turnover/mistake game to have a real chance in this game.  That is very hard to do against Central almost any year, but the homecoming game has been fun to watch in Decorah in at least 3 of the last 4 years.

I would love the to see the Norse QB come out and really play well.  That would make the game very interesting and give supporters of the program hope since he will be around for another three years.

[sc_stormchaser]

Was checking out the NCAA stats and found some interesting statistics:

Cornell ranks 215 out of 235 in total defense

Cornell ranks 206 out of 235 in scoring defense

Cornell ranks 213 out of 235 in TO margin


What does this all mean?  Why am I throwing out terrible stats about a team I love?  I don't know.  I do know it equates to a 0-4 record and a lot of pissed off fans or worse yet fans that just don't even care.  It also makes me wonder how a team that returned all four starting defensive backs, and nine starters overall on the defense can be that bad.  Statistically they weren't any better last year....but they didn't get any better this year.  I think that should be the biggest cause of concern.  What chain of events are transpiring in the middle of those cornfields that aren't allowing any progression to take place?  If you can't stop the ball, you can't win games.  Plain and simple.      

I don't want to pile on Cornell, but there might be a simple reason the 9 returning starters aren't any better...they might not have the ability and they probably don't have anyone behind them (second string) who are pushing them for playing time. What's the old saying, "the good news is that they return nine starts on defense, but the bad news is that they return nine starters on defense."

[Thunderbolt]

Was checking out the NCAA stats and found some interesting statistics:

Cornell ranks 215 out of 235 in total defense

Cornell ranks 206 out of 235 in scoring defense

Cornell ranks 213 out of 235 in TO margin


What does this all mean?  Why am I throwing out terrible stats about a team I love?  I don't know.  I do know it equates to a 0-4 record and a lot of pissed off fans or worse yet fans that just don't even care.  It also makes me wonder how a team that returned all four starting defensive backs, and nine starters overall on the defense can be that bad.  Statistically they weren't any better last year....but they didn't get any better this year.  I think that should be the biggest cause of concern.  What chain of events are transpiring in the middle of those cornfields that aren't allowing any progression to take place?  If you can't stop the ball, you can't win games.  Plain and simple.      

I understand the frustration Ram fans are going through. In defense of the players/coaching staff, it's more difficult than people think to improve your defense 7 points per game, from one season to the next. Likewise, to average 7 points more per game from one season to the next. (Not quite as rare.)  To expect to improve both sides of the ball by 7 points per game in the same year is asking a lot. The best example of this I can give you is the Spartans from 05 to 06. Their offense improved by 6.6 points per game and the D. by 6.7 points per game. Given last years team surrendered 36 points a game and averaged 12.6 there is no guarantee they would win a game  even if they do improve that much this year. So far this year, Centrals D has improved by 8 points per game. A closer look shows that their 2 non-confference foes have only scored 68 points total, in 7 games. Their numbers by the end of the season will probably be a lot closer to the 18.6 of last years squad.
As long as we are talking about surprising numbers, the first 8 IIAC games this year produced a total of 346 points, compared to 334 total the first 8 games last year. I would have never guessed that considering how much offensive talent was graduated last year.

[New Storm]

Was checking out the NCAA stats and found some interesting statistics:

Cornell ranks 215 out of 235 in total defense

Cornell ranks 206 out of 235 in scoring defense

Cornell ranks 213 out of 235 in TO margin


What does this all mean?  Why am I throwing out terrible stats about a team I love?  I don't know.  I do know it equates to a 0-4 record and a lot of pissed off fans or worse yet fans that just don't even care.  It also makes me wonder how a team that returned all four starting defensive backs, and nine starters overall on the defense can be that bad.  Statistically they weren't any better last year....but they didn't get any better this year.  I think that should be the biggest cause of concern.  What chain of events are transpiring in the middle of those cornfields that aren't allowing any progression to take place?  If you can't stop the ball, you can't win games.  Plain and simple.      

I understand the frustration Ram fans are going through. In defense of the players/coaching staff, it's more difficult than people think to improve your defense 7 points per game, from one season to the next. Likewise, to average 7 points more per game from one season to the next. (Not quite as rare.)  To expect to improve both sides of the ball by 7 points per game in the same year is asking a lot. The best example of this I can give you is the Spartans from 05 to 06. Their offense improved by 6.6 points per game and the D. by 6.7 points per game. Given last years team surrendered 36 points a game and averaged 12.6 there is no guarantee they would win a game  even if they do improve that much this year. So far this year, Centrals D has improved by 8 points per game. A closer look shows that their 2 non-confference foes have only scored 68 points total, in 7 games. Their numbers by the end of the season will probably be a lot closer to the 18.6 of last years squad.
As long as we are talking about surprising numbers, the first 8 IIAC games this year produced a total of 346 points, compared to 334 total the first 8 games last year. I would have never guessed that considering how much offensive talent was graduated last year.

I think the defenses where better last year   8) 8)

[LCNorse]

Central website preview of the Dutch-Norse game on Saturday:

http://www.central.edu/athletics/story.cfm?StoryID=1933

Central has not lost a regular season road game since losing in Decorah in 2004!  That feels like a long time ago as Iowa was winning a share of the Big Ten and it seemed like the Luther program was still building and exciting to watch under Coach Hefty.   I always have a lot of respect for Central Football and Wartburg Wrestling and the crazy numbers both programs put up.

Luther is going to need to once again clearly win the turnover/mistake game to have a real chance in this game.  That is very hard to do against Central almost any year, but the homecoming game has been fun to watch in Decorah in at least 3 of the last 4 years.

I would love the to see the Norse QB come out and really play well.  That would make the game very interesting and give supporters of the program hope since he will be around for another three years.

Really looking forward to watching this game, hope the Norse come out and play well at home. In the four years I was their we always played them well, just couldn't finish out games. This years Central team does remind me somewhat of the Central team of 2004 that we beat on homecoming and I'm really hoping for the same ending to the game. Hope everyone has safe travels to where they are going this weekend, its gonna be a beautiful day for good ol' IIAC football!

[TheOne89.1]

Thanks for the heads up re the Central Luther webcast.  When I watched the Central Wartburg game I ran out of beer in the third quarter.  I won't make that mistake again.

If you ever run out of beer again just call up one of those MIAC guys, they have lifetime supplies of Grainbelt on hand I've heard.

[DutchFan2004]

89.1 you need to go to the pickems and make an change you have 5 teams winning and only four can.   

[Alfredeneumann]

Waterloo Courier Small college preview:
http://wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/10/03/sports/local/doc48e64b8d421cb777534988.txt

"Wartburg has won nine of the last 10 in the series, but its last two trips to Storm Lake have produced nail-biters – a 17-14 loss in 2004 and a double-overtime win in '06."

"Wartburg coach Rick Willis said starting right tackle Travis Vlantes is out Saturday because of a lower leg injury. Tom Barber will shift from guard to tackle and Scott Crawford will start at guard."

They like WC over BC 24-20
Central 28-6 over Luther

[TheOne89.1]

89.1 you need to go to the pickems and make an change you have 5 teams winning and only four can.   

Guess I just felt that after the Norse lose to the Dutch they would be so pissed off that they would want a win and play the game against Waldorf later that night to get a win.

But hey!  I finally caught up on this board.

[Alfredeneumann]

Waterloo Courier Article onW'loo Columbus HS alum +  Loras WR Ben McMahon
http://wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/10/03/sports/local/10660918.txt

"The conference is up for grabs," McMahon said. "The last couple of years, the chemistry here hasn't been great. We're more of a team now, and the chemistry is there."

[Ash Park]

Was checking out the NCAA stats and found some interesting statistics:

Cornell ranks 215 out of 235 in total defense

Cornell ranks 206 out of 235 in scoring defense

Cornell ranks 213 out of 235 in TO margin


What does this all mean?  Why am I throwing out terrible stats about a team I love?  I don't know.  I do know it equates to a 0-4 record and a lot of pissed off fans or worse yet fans that just don't even care.  It also makes me wonder how a team that returned all four starting defensive backs, and nine starters overall on the defense can be that bad.  Statistically they weren't any better last year....but they didn't get any better this year.  I think that should be the biggest cause of concern.  What chain of events are transpiring in the middle of those cornfields that aren't allowing any progression to take place?  If you can't stop the ball, you can't win games.  Plain and simple.      

I don't want to pile on Cornell, but there might be a simple reason the 9 returning starters aren't any better...they might not have the ability and they probably don't have anyone behind them (second string) who are pushing them for playing time. What's the old saying, "the good news is that they return nine starts on defense, but the bad news is that they return nine starters on defense."

I agree I think most of them have the ability but they just are not being pushed by anybody behind them on the second string.

[sportsknight]

Waterloo Courier Small college preview:
http://wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/10/03/sports/local/doc48e64b8d421cb777534988.txt

"Wartburg has won nine of the last 10 in the series, but its last two trips to Storm Lake have produced nail-biters – a 17-14 loss in 2004 and a double-overtime win in '06."

A fact that those who have read my predictions on the Pick 'Em board already knew.